Thus far, sophomore summer has been my favorite term at Dartmouth. As discussed in Michael Beechert’s July 8 column “Sophomore Bummer,” there is always plenty to complain about at Dartmouth, not least of which is how the administration attempts to nickel-and-dime us at every turn. Not only do they force us to dig deep in our pockets to cover endless bloat, but the school then fails to provide the same basic level of services this term than it does the rest of the year.
I will admit that I am disappointed that I cannot enjoy a General Tso’s bob at the Courtyard Cafe this term, or that even if I could, I would then not be able to go to the gym at 8:30 p.m. to work it off. However, I understand why such cutbacks are necessary. Moreover, the last thing we should complain about is the school’s summer academic offerings. Not only does it make sense for Dartmouth to offer fewer classes during the summer, but the particular classes that are offered create a unique learning environment that fosters class bonding.
Over the summer Dartmouth does suffer a decline in the amount of funding available for services despite its massive endowment, since fewer students are on campus and paying tuition. With this reduction in number of students paying tuition, it is certainly reasonable to assume that the school cannot necessarily provide the same services. If the school were to hire the same number of people to staff the same facilities with this smaller amount of funding, it would make the cost per student even higher than it already is, so some service cutbacks are prudent.
On top of this, many classes that would be viable during other terms, like some small seminars, may just not work because there may not be enough students with the necessary background to produce quality work in those classes. With just a few rising juniors on campus interested in such narrow, specialized topics characteristic of seminar, the course simply won’t function anymore. In general, the school is making a fairly logical cost-conscious decision in cutting back services and courses over the summer.
I, like many other students, have found a dearth of summer courses available for my major. Yet why should Dartmouth be blamed for that? It is my fault that I did not look ahead at summer course offerings and leave room for major courses in the summer. Yes, we could all use more flexibility, but I feel there are more important things to worry about (the lack of air conditioning in dorms, for instance).
In many ways, my academic experience so far this summer has reminded me of freshman year. Students bound for all different majors, from environmental science to English literature, were in the same few introductory classes, along with a host of writing classes and seminars that similarly brought together students with diverse backgrounds and future goals. Even when such classes were medium to large lectures, they connected students with classmates headed down various academic and vocational paths. The same can be said for the summer’s intermediate introductory classes. Popular summer courses like “Linear Algebra with Applications” and “Classical Mythology,” chock full of people who aren’t majoring in those particular subjects, provide this type of experience.
If you cannot find enough classes over the summer that both interest you and are academically engaging, I believe you have come to the wrong school. Dartmouth is a liberal arts college, where you should not just focus on one subject continually until graduation. You should be sailing into uncharted waters, always exploring new subjects and constantly trying to meet people from different academic and social backgrounds. If the fact that there are fewer course offerings means that many members of the class of 2016 have to resort to such diversification this summer, I would say that’s a good thing.
Alston is a staff columnist.
